The Kistefos AS Opportunity Bursary Fund Programme is administered by the Small Projects Foundation (SPF), an Eastern Cape registered Trust. Kistefos AS, through its owner Christen Sveaas, has donated to various programmes in the health, education, economic and the community structure sectors through SPF.

The Kistefos AS Opportunity Bursary Fund Programme has been operational at SU since 2019 and will run until 2027. During this time, the company will donate an amount of US$2.1 million to beneficiaries at SU and Rhodes University, where the fund is also active.

It is estimated that a total of 38 students would have graduated or will graduate from SU under the Kistefos AS Opportunity Bursary programme by the end of the current funding cycle at SU.

Students are selected for funding based on financial need, academic excellence, a proven track record of service to their community and experience in positions of leadership.

Luke Baisley, Kistefos AS programme manager at SPF, says: "The majority of our beneficiaries (once accepted into the programme) go on to take up class representative positions, House Committee positions and social impact positions. Students involve themselves in individual community service projects close to their heart and also as a group. Teamwork and social networking are a positive spinoff of the programme."

He adds: "Kistefos is looking for students who are likely to become ethical leaders in future. If you are a responsible ethical leader now, the chances are good you are going to remain a responsible ethical leader tomorrow. Those are the people that Kistefos wants to support."

Students from the Eastern Cape in the second year of their studies are eligible for funding. Students are supported across a wide range of study disciplines, including medicine, data science, agriculture, commerce, music, finance and accounting.

Ivana Stevens of Makhanda received a Kistefos bursary at the beginning of the second year of her BSc Human Life Sciences (Physiology and Genetics) studies at SU in 2022.

"Due to tough financial circumstances within my family, I applied for the bursary in the hope of relieving my parents of the stress that university fees may cause them. Studying science is very costly due to theoretical and practical sessions in the laboratories, for example. This bursary has been nothing short of an absolute blessing and I feel extremely grateful and privileged. It has helped my parents to send me to a top university and has allowed me to be exposed to the most amazing opportunities, facilities, lecturers, and people," says Stevens.

"I am also so grateful for the opportunity the bursary has granted me to travel to Oslo in August this year to meet our generous founder Mr Sveaas, and to see the company that has been sponsoring us with these amazing opportunities," she adds.

Kistefos AS is currently also funding her studies for her honours in Physiological Sciences.

Tom Heath from Gqeberha explained how he managed to secure a Kistefos AS bursary to continue studying for his Bachelor of Data Science degree.

"Towards the end of my first year in 2022, I had reached a crossroads where funding for university was not achievable for my family. It was at this point that I began applying for bursaries. After applying on the Stellenbosch University bursary platform, the application for the Kistefos AS Bursary Fund was forwarded to me. The bursary is awarded on the basis of academic excellence, community service and leadership achievement, all spheres that I pride myself in. This led to me applying as I knew I was a suitable candidate."

Heath says the bursary has greatly impacted his life and the lives of his family.

"Having that financial burden lifted has mitigated the stress related to academics, food, fees and travelling home. It has done wonders for my quality of life. I am most grateful for the pressure it has taken off my parents, especially my mother who had to work three fulltime jobs to cover my fees."

Established in 1998 in Oslo, Norway, Kistefos AS also supports bursary programmes at Harvard Kennedy School, IE University and the University of St Gallen. In addition, the company regularly supports humanitarian organisations and social entrepreneurship through various initiatives.